Chuck Lives! (non-Chuck-Norris-related)

[Zeta Kai]

It's official: there WILL (http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b124664_nbc_news_chuck_renewed_my_name_earl.html) be a third season of Chuck. Rejoice & revel in the glorious continuance of the best show on television.

[kopout]

alas to my knowledge "pushing daisies" has not received similar treatment :smallfrown: I' m happy for you though:smallsmile:

[Canadian]

When I read the thread title my mind went straight to Chuck Norris. I thought there was going to be some new Chuck Norris show or movie.

[Hawriel]

Nice to know that show is coming back. However after reading that link and how TV peaple organise their shows I think I might swear off TV altogether. ITs a freakin pain in the butt. At least PBS is consistent with how they organise their stuff.

[kpenguin]

Strangely enough, the first thing I thought of when I saw "Chuck Lives" was "Is Chuck getting renewed?! IS IT?!"

So, needless to say, I'm ecstatic.:smallbiggrin:

[kamikasei]

I gave up on the show in the middle of the second season after Chuck himself finally became unlikeable (via idiocy around the Britguy/Sarah situation). The sheer hamfistedness of the writing and drive to keep the characters in stasis (turning them, over time, into obnoxious caricatures) did it in for me.

Was this a temporary lull? Did the show recover? Did Chuck and Morgan's actors finally rise up and depose their writing staff, giving the nerd jokes free reign?

[Zeta Kai]

I gave up on the show in the middle of the second season after Chuck himself finally became unlikeable (via idiocy around the Britguy/Sarah situation). The sheer hamfistedness of the writing and drive to keep the characters in stasis (turning them, over time, into obnoxious caricatures) did it in for me.

Was this a temporary lull? Did the show recover? Did Chuck and Morgan's actors finally rise up and depose their writing staff, giving the nerd jokes free reign?

Well, I won't spoil it for you, but I can assure you that the status quo of the show is all but destroyed. It appears that nothing will be the same next season.

I'm actually impressed by how much character & plot development the show has. The pace is so fast, yet it's always easy to figure out what's going on. Plot hooks are brought up all the time, but the actually get resolved in a timely manner (unlike a show such as Heroes, which would string these plot elements along for as long as possible & then either drop them entirely or give them a sudden resolution that doesn't live up to the expectation).

Oh hell, I'll give you a spoiler if you really want one. Here's what happened in the last half of the second season of Chuck, in no particular order, to prove that thw writers aren't just putzing around:
Are you sure?Last chance!I mean it!

With Sarah's help, Chuck tracked down his absent father (played by Scott Bakula).
Chuck's dad is Orion, the man that originally designed the first Intersect.
Orion worked with Bryce Larkin, & had Bryce arrange for Chuck to get kicked out of college, so he wouldn't be recruited by the CIA.
Chuck & Sarah almost have sex, but for want of a nail condom.
Devon (Capt. Awesome) discovers that Chuck is a government agent, & that Sarah & Casey are his undercover handlers.
Chuck realises that it is his destiny to become a real spy, & that he can't just sit on the sidelines & let others do all the dirty work.
Fulcrum is revealed to be just a part of a larger ring of rogue agencies within the government.
With Orion's help, the Intersect is finally removed from Chuck's head.
Devon & Ellie get married on the beach.
Emmett becomes manager of the Buy More, & Big Mike is demoted to a sales clerk.
Ana, Morgan, Chuck, & Casey all quit the Buy More.
Morgan & Ana move to Hawaii.
In order to prevent Fulcrum & the rest of the Ring from obtaining Orion's new Intersect, Chuck becomes the new Orion.
Bryce Larkin is shot & killed defending the Intersect 2.0.
Chuck downloads the Intersect 2.0 intentionally & destroys its hardware.
The new Intersect allows Chuck to learn martial arts, essentially giving him superpowers, a la The Matrix.

That's about it. Like I said, the status quo is pretty much toast. They could hit the reset button on some things, but others are irrevocable. Devon is in on Operation Bartowski, Bryce is very dead, & Chuck is a willing spy for the government. Life moves on, & I'm glad that the story doesn't end there.

[DraPrime]

Yes! This is fantastic! Mostly because I want to see Chuck do more kung-fu.

[darkblade]

Chuck getting renewed and Haruhi Season 2 fansubs in the same day...someone pinch me now I need to make sure this isn't a dream because it sure feels like it.

[Zeta Kai]

I am saddened by some of the shows that we lost this season (My Name is Earl, Terminator: TSCC, Kings), & disappointed that some dreck was kept on for another year (Two & a Half Men, 90210, The Apprentice). But shows like Chuck, Scrubs, & 30 Rock are some of the only reasons to watch broadcast television, & losing such a gem would've upset me greatly. A bright star in the heavens continues to shine, undimmed by dust & time.

[Jerthanis]

Chuck realises that it is his destiny to become a real spy, & that he can't just sit on the sidelines & let others do all the dirty work.
Ana, Morgan, Chuck, & Casey all quit the Buy More.
Morgan & Ana move to Hawaii.
The new Intersect allows Chuck to learn martial arts, essentially giving him superpowers, a la The Matrix.

That's about it. Like I said, the status quo is pretty much toast.


So... I take it the show has abandoned the idea that there would be time spent on Chuck's mundane life, and mundane, immature silliness as a relief from the Spy Drama? That's kind of disappointing. I stopped watching when I moved to a new computer that couldn't keep up on Hulu's streaming video, so I missed the 2nd half of the 2nd season too.

Also, I liked how Chuck solved none of his problems through violence in the entire time I watched it. It was neat to see a hero who had no fireballs and guns in his back pocket, ready to be used as soon as his initial plan failed.

I can't say I'm not disappointed in some of these developments you mention, but I feel like I can't complain either. Chuck fell squarely into "exactly what I want out of a TV Show", and one of the things I want out of a TV show is excellent pacing. Excellent pacing when the show started off so friggin' good just means it practically must develop in a way I don't like terribly as much.

Oh well, looking forward to getting the 2nd season DVDs when they come out.

[Nevitan]

Woooooo!
This pleases me.

[charl]

Oh hell yeah! Good news.

[sealemon]

oh, yes...I was so happy to see Chuck coming back for next season. Also, I'd like to say:

Best. Season. Finale. EVAH.

[Sneak]

Sweet.

I just got into this show pretty recently (after it was announced that it was being renewed, actually), so I'm definitely glad that it's a survivor.

I must say, it is pretty amazing. The blend of humor, action, etc. is great.

And Captain Awesome is just awesome. :smalltongue:

Plus the last two episodes were fantastic. I find myself legitimately wondering what will happen next season.

It's just too bad that it's not starting in the fall. And that they only ordered 13 episodes (for now...).

[TRM]

So... I take it the show has abandoned the idea that there would be time spent on Chuck's mundane life, and mundane, immature silliness as a relief from the Spy Drama? That's kind of disappointing. I stopped watching when I moved to a new computer that couldn't keep up on Hulu's streaming video, so I missed the 2nd half of the 2nd season too.

Also, I liked how Chuck solved none of his problems through violence in the entire time I watched it. It was neat to see a hero who had no fireballs and guns in his back pocket, ready to be used as soon as his initial plan failed.

I can't say I'm not disappointed in some of these developments you mention, but I feel like I can't complain either. Chuck fell squarely into "exactly what I want out of a TV Show", and one of the things I want out of a TV show is excellent pacing. Excellent pacing when the show started off so friggin' good just means it practically must develop in a way I don't like terribly as much.

Oh well, looking forward to getting the 2nd season DVDs when they come out.
Not really. Chuck himself certainly moved more towards being a hero as the 2nd season progressed, but there was still focus on his mundane life. If I recall, the season finale was about him trying to save his sister's wedding from a last-ditch Fulcrum attack without letting her know, as well as making decisions about his relationship with Sarah.

As of now, we're really not sure how Chuck will act after his change. I think there's a quote from the creator somewhere saying that they aren't going to turn him into Jack Baur (I can't find it though...), but until Season 3 starts broadcasting we can't know for sure. I have hope that they'll be able to keep him interesting despite his new-found powers. (he is still Chuck after all; he doesn't have the personality of a super-spy.)

I am glad that they moved Chuck and Sarah's romantic relationship forward. I think three full seasons of Chuck/Sarah sexual tension would have gotten old.

Chuck is my favorite (or, only) show on television right now, and I'm still giddy from the news that it is being renewed.


Plus the last two episodes were fantastic. I find myself legitimately wondering what will happen next season.

From a show-renewal standpoint, I think it was a great decision to end the season that way—inspiring fans to pressure the network to bring it back.